Precision medicine in oncology aims to provide customized cancer care based on individual patient characteristics. It has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment for many types of cancer patients through targeted drugs and immunotherapy.
Understanding Precision Medicine in Oncology
Precision medicine is an innovative approach that analyzes someone’s genes, proteins, and other factors to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. In cancer care, precision medicine utilizes specific biological and molecular characteristics of a tumor to inform diagnosis prognosis and guide targeted therapies for each patient based on their tumor profile.
Which Types of Cancer Patients Benefit from Precision Oncology?
Precision oncology approaches have shown great success in treating cancers driven by specific genetic mutations and abnormalities such as lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. Patients with advanced or treatment-resistant tumors who have exhausted standard therapies are finding that precision oncology treatments can provide extra months of life, increased response rates, and improved quality of life.
Benefits of Precision Medicine in Treating Common Cancers
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, yet precision oncology treatments have extended survival for patients with rare lung cancer mutations. Targeted drugs halt tumor growth with fewer side effects for those with EGFR, ALK, ROS1, or BRAF gene alterations. Meanwhile, immunotherapy empowers lung cancer patient’s immune cells to attack PD-L1-positive tumors.
Conclusion
Precision medicine in oncology benefits the increasing number of cancer patients whose tumors harbor specific targetable mutations or biomarkers. However, access to precision oncology remains limited for many. Advanced Innovative Partners are dedicated to expanding precision medicine access through innovative research partnerships, simplified molecular diagnostic tests, and new therapeutic discoveries.